Garage Door Safety Inspection: getting ready

Your toddler has discovered the wall button. You want to know, from someone who checks these things for a living, that the door will stop and reverse if a small person is under it.

Worth answering before the call

Is there a spring on a shaft above the opening, or springs stretched along the tracks? Is the door a single or a double, and roughly how tall is it? Does the door sound or move differently going up than coming down?

How often should a garage door be inspected?

Once a year suits most households, and early spring, after the salt and freeze-thaw season, is a natural time. A door that opens many times a day, an older door, or one on a rental where nobody watches it closely does well with a look each season. Between visits, the monthly balance, reversal and photo-eye checks that industry guidance recommends catch most changes early.

How long does the visit usually take?

Plan for roughly an hour for a single door in ordinary condition, and longer for a double door, a second door on the property, or a door with a history that needs following up. Maintenance done on the spot adds a few minutes. A post-impact assessment, where the technician traces the force through the hardware, takes longer than a routine check. You are told at the door if the scope is growing.